Machine for halving and pitting drupaceous fruit



Nov. 28, 1950 L. w. WATERS MACHINE FOR HALVING AND FITTING DRUPACEOUS FRUIT 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 6, 1

6g 16 0 0 76) 110 75 $82 X /A 18' I f 12 a 112 7 I) 70 7 9/ 92 90 INVENTOR,

Nov. 28, 1950 w. WATERS 2,531,927

MACHINE FOR HALVING AND FITTING DRUPACEOUS FRUIT Filed Feb. 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR,

Nov. 28, 1950 w. WATERS 7 MACHINE FOR HALVING AND PITTING DRUPACEOUS FRUIT Filed Feb. 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 0 n" wad 14 fig 1/213], 126

INVENTOR.

mam

ATTORN Y.

Nov. 28, 1950 L. w. WATERS 2,531,927

MACHINE FOR HALVING AND FITTING DRUPACEOUS FRUIT Filed Feb. 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

W ATTORN Y.

Nam 28, 1956 L. W. WATERS 2 53 11,92 7

MACHINE FOR HALVING AND PITI'ING DRUPACEOUS FRUIT Filed Feb. 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Wen ram ATTORNE fatented Nov. 28, 1950 MACHINE FORHALVING AND PI-TTING? pnI-JPAeEousERuI'I:

Laurence W. Waters, Ontario; Galiii, assignor to Benton. Balioirfiompany, Ltdk, Ontario;v Galifi; a; corporation of Galifornia;

Applicatio F hn a xu .5 ..Ser a 1Ne fififitfif.

:8- Claims;

Thisinventionrelates tocanning machinery and has particulanreference to a machine which is capable of cutting and separating drupaceous fruits into halves-and at-thesame timeseparating 'the pit or stonefrom both halves,;so that-the meat of the fruit can be collected and-handled entirely free from thepit;

In the preparation of fruit for canningand. particularly drupaceous. fruits, which includepeaches, cherr-ies'and thelike, itis necessary tocut the fruit into halves without shredding or tearing the-meat andtoremove the pit from each of the halves withoutundue loss of meat or-flesh. Theseoperations must becarried out-rapidlyand efiectively since evena single pit in a largebatch of canned; pitted fruit gives risetomuch unfavorablecomment. It therefore becomes highly desirable to provide-a pitting machine which will operate to such a degree of accuracy and eflicienc-y that it will mechanically grip the pit or stone until the halves of the meat have beentornfromv it and 'thereafter reject the pitbyitself: Moreover, since unskilled .help isemployed and great quantities of fruit must'be handled, themachine must-be rugged; fool-proof, easilyserviced, and easily operated.

The machine of this inventionis adapted -particularly to the pitting of fruits-classed as treestone, wherein the pit adheres to the meata-with relatively light tenacity, as contrasted with the so-calledclingstonefruits, of which peachesare anotableexample.

:It: is therefore among the objects of the invention toprovideanew and improved pittenfor drupaceous fruits which isadapted to retain-the pit while the meat is separated from it and thereafter reject. the pit.

Another object of the inventionisto provide-a machine for pitting, drupaceousiruits which is adapted to accommodate fruits of different size without readjustment and particularly fruitsofv the same kind whereinithe size of the pit might be. different, so that during operation of the ma,- chine a pit-gripping portion will be advanced until such time as it actually comesinto contact with the pit before the advance is stoppedand which is further so equipped that the meat of the fruit will not be pulled from the pit until the pit has been properly grasped.

Still another object of'the invention is to provide a machine for pitting fruits wherein the portion ofthe-machine which is designed to grasp the pitis permitted some degree of mechanical adjustment to accommodate extremelywide variations in the type of pit, particularly where the machine nay be used -for small fruits such as cherries at one time and later forlarge-fr uits; such as peaches.

A furtherobject-of the-invention is to-provide= aone-revolution type of" machine for pitting fruits which'is so set up that-it will remain in operative until a-fruithas beenset on an empaleraf-ter which by a convenient means the a machine is set in operation-- and continues throughone complete cycle only;after which it comes to-a stop until again-beingmanually released;

A further object still is to-provide a fruit"--.

pitting- -machine which takes advantage of the positioning of the meat of the fruit on either sideof astationary-slide sothat the slide-iorms a. guide -for the-fruitas it" is advanced to-the end of theslide where-the pit is separated from the meat, thereby enablingthe fault to beaccurately positioned as it enters-the operative end ofthe machine.

Another-object is toprovidein -a f-ruit pitting machinea sliding bar having a sharp edge on one side for initially positioningthe fruit s'o that aninitial cut ismade-along one side, thereby rendering it: unnecessary to move the -fruit in: anymore than one direction in order'to effectacut on the -'SideS;-0f" the :fruit remote irom thea side out: byuplacing it in its initiaL position.

invention consists in the construction,- arrangement and combination of thevarious parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated-are attained; as hereinafter more fully: setforth,- pointed' out in the: claims-- and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings; in which:

Fig. 1 is a side fielevational view ofthedevice showingv a peach: on an empal'er. at its initial position.

Fig;- 2-is a plan view of the device with the empaler in its initial? position;

Fig. :3'-'iis .=a fragmentary, sidev-ievv drawn-to- -alarger. .scaleshowing a single-revolution: clutch mechanism;

FF'igrdls alongitudinai; sectional viewtakenlon the.1ine--: I V-1-IV1of Fig. *2 with the empaler -in advanced position.

Fig. 5 is a'horizontal, sectional view taken on the line V -V of -Fig. 4 showing the -empaler-'in advanced position;

F'ig.-: 6 'is:az,viewsimilar to l ig. :5" showing meate separating elements in operative position wherein the meat is tor-n from the pit;

Fig. :7 is 1 a. substantially horizontal, sectional viewtakemon-the: line=VII.-.-VII of Fig: 4 -show ing= a pitsknockeout-:bar-- -in= operative-:positiom Fig. 8 is a detailed view of a cam action for the pit knock-out bar taken on the line VIII-VIII of Fi '7.

Fig. 9 shows a battery of maclu'nes designed to be operated from a single drive shaft and equipped with a single conveyor belt for all of the machines.

Fig. 10 is a side elevational view of a portion of the device showing a modified structure of the fruit-separating and pit-receiving members.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the device taken on the line XI-XI of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line XII-XII of Fig. 10 showing the pit-engaging member in an extended position.

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 10 taken on line XIII-XIII.

In the design and construction of machines which are to handle fresh fruit in the canning industry, various factors must be taken carefully into consideration. In the first place, these machines are customarily operated by relatively inexperienced help and therefore must be made as simple to operate as is commensurate with the type of performance required. Also these Also, because of the presence of various fruit acids in the fruits operated upon which remain Lib present in the machine during most of the can- ;.1

ning season, it is highly desirable to minimize the number of moving and operating parts which may actually come into contact with the fruit or fruit juices and consequently there is presented the problem of placing necessary operative parts in a position remote from the fruit without sacrificing the necessity of preserving simplicity and ruggedness in the design.

By reason of the fact also that these machines are used by inexperienced help, they must be so constructed that they are safe to operate and so that there will be,no power-operated cutting parts which are apt to trap the fingers of an operator and cause serious injury during the course of operation.

Various types of machines have been employed in the past, some of them capable of splitting fruit so that the pit might lie in one half only, but machines of this kind necessitate a further operation upon the fruit in order that the pit may be separated from one half or the other. More recently, certain types of machines have been designed for separating the meat from the pit, as for example, by the use of wires which hug the pit as they are drawn through the fruit and thereby separate the meat from the pit. Devices of this kind, however, have been relatively complicated and expensive to manufacture, so that there has remained a field for a simple and inexpensive machine which can be used particularly upon the freestone type of fruits.

To accomplish the desired results, there has been provided a relatively simple machine illustrated as to a considerable number of its working parts in Fig. 1 of the drawings. In general, the machine consists of a base I 8 upon which is mounted a stationary blade I2 for cutting and guiding a fruit 14, such as a peach, which is designed to be initially held in place by means of a fruit empaler I6. Suitable mechanism is pro- 4 vided connected to a source of power by means of which the fruit may be slid along the slide 12 from the initial position shown in Fig. l to a final position best illustrated in Fig. 5 wherein the peach has been advanced to the opposite end of the slide, meanwhile effecting a cut in the fruit so as to separate it into halves and thereafter permitting the halves to be separated from the pit and the pit subsequently knocked from the position in which it is retained during separation of the meat.

It will be apparent from an examination of Figs. 1 and 5 that a pair of jaws l8 on each side of the slide are designed to be separated and moved mechanically outwardly as best seen in Fig. 6, thereby tearing the meat from the pit. After the meat has been torn from the pit it falls into a bin defined in part by the deflecting sides l9 and the end 29 which guide it downwardly to a conveyor belt 2| which collects the meat and pit together, taking them to some distant point at which the pits are separated from the meat.

Power for operating the device may be supplied by a drive shaft 22 which can extend through several machines in a single battery. The drive shaft is supported by means of a frame comprising vertical supports 23 mounted upon the base 18 and which are equipped with bearings 24 in which the drive shaft is journaled.

In order to simplify the description of the machine, only one machine of the battery shown in Fig. 9 will be described in detail. This machine is shown-in detail in the drawings and the general setup can best be viewed in Fig. 1.

As there shown the drive shaft 22 is provided with a sprocket 25 around which extends a drive chain 2%. Spaced from and parallel to the drive shaft is an operating shaft 21 upon which is mounted certain operative parts of the machine together with a single-revolution clutch by means of'which the drive shaft can be connected to the operating shaft whenever it is desired to operate the device. As shown in the drawings. the operating shaft is supported by the same supports 23 upon which the drive shaft is mount ed, the operating shaft being journaled within similar bushings 28.

Adjacent one end of the operating shaft, which in Fig. 2 of the drawings is the lower end, is positioned a sleeve 35 freely rotatable about the operating shaft. The sleeve is provided with a sprocket 35 having teeth designed to mesh with the chain 25 and be driven thereby. Sccured to and rotatable with the sleeve 39 and sprocket 3! is a ratchet gear 32 best shown in Fig. 3. So long as the drive shaft is operated, the chain 26 will rotate the sprocket 3 l, the sleeve 36 and the ratchet gear 32.

In order to impart rotation to the operating shaft 2'! and the mechanisms attached to it and dependent upon it, there is provided a ratchet operated clutch, generally designated by the reference character 33. This clutch comprises a disc 34 keyed to the operating shaft 2? and upon the face of the disc adjacent the ratchet gear 32 there is p ovided a pawl 35 pivotally secured to the disc by means of a pin 33. The pawl has a shoulder 3'? on one side of the pivot which is designed to engage the teeth of the ratchet gear. A spring 38 is secured at one end 39 to the pawl on the side of the pivot adjacent the shoulder and at the other end as to the disc. The action of the spring normally tends to pull the pawl into nosii c into en a men w th. the t eth o the ra chet. ear-- B Qieet h r m th awl o thes cl mo e ir n; h oper t n sha th re. provided. a. finset 4 a g a fiat other a e. A lever m 2 s pivotallv mounted at the lower end- 9 th baseso thatit can move between thedotted line nosi i 42- a d th s l d ne posit n 42"- A sprin i is a cho ed ato n o a. .9111 -4 3 1 01 1 which the lower end of thelever arm is pivoted and at the ot er end p s s a i st a o 6. on. th l ver arm.

The action of the sprin ends. orma y o urge the lever arm into the solid line position shown in Fig. 3 If desired, a separate bracket may: be provided upon the base for supporting .the. lever arm as e c ed- T e brao may further be provided with an upward extension 48- havin an adjustin bolt i ich an b moved utward r nw d y ord to bea a ainst the lever arm when he lever arm. i the solid line position so that the arm may have a proper relationship n that. posit on. o t e fingeril on the pawl.

At the top end of the letter arm there is provided. an engaging face 58 which is designed to engage the upper face of the finger H as shown in Fig. 3.. When in this position, the pawl will tend to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction about the pivot pin 36; against the action of the spring 38, thereby tending to withdraw the shoulder 37 out of a position for-engagement with the. teeth of the ratchet gear. Consequently as the drive continues to operate the ratchet gear through the chain drive it will continue to operate in what may be termed an idling position, ready for, but still out of engagement with, the operating shaft.

In order to prevent reverse rotation of the disc 34-, a. column 5i pivctally mounted: by means of a pin upon a bracket 53 is normally drawn by means of a spring Ell into the solid line position shown in Fig. 3. The spring 54. is anchoredat one end 55 to the column and at the other end 5-B.to a. projection 5! supported by the base. At its upper end, the column has an adjusting bolt 59 including a lock nut to by means of which it can be set upwardly or downwardly in order to cooperate properly with the pivot pin 3% which, in order to accommodate this function, extends outwardly a substantial distance as can best be seen in thelower portion of Fig. 2.

In order to operate the lever arm 42- there is provided a rod 6! which extends into engage ment with a pivotally mounted handle 62-. normal position as previously described, the pawl is. held out of engagement with the ratchet gear 32. When it is desired to engage the pawl with the ratchet gear it is necessary only to movie the handle 82 in a counterclockwise direction as Viewed in Fig. 1. By means of this movement the rod 6! is drawn from right to left to the dotted line position 6! shown in Fig. 3. In this position the lever arm 42 will be out of engagement with the finger ll. The spring will then be free to pull the pawl into the dotted line position 35 where the shoulder 31 will engage the ratchet gear 32. These members thus being engaged, the ratchet gear will rotate the disc 3a through the pawl and ratchet gear connection and since. the disc 34 is keyed to the operating shaft, the operating shaft will continued to be driven so long as the pawl remains in'engagement. As-the disc. rotates in a clockwise direction as shown by the dotted arrow in Fig. 3 the pivot pin 36: will rotate a o in len l reache a. posi ion. aoiae smit s-ad ustin ol .Brreason of theiact that h olt. s. h ld mposit n. y. mea ssor the spr n 5. tv be. pivoted a. s h distance unterc ockwise norder o ermit. t e. exte ed d. ofhep votpin to mov past it. Asv soon-as he pi ot n as move v past t e adjustin bolt. the oltwill be. moved: ack nto h so d l n os tion shown Fi 3. Lik wis at this. point the. fin r it will hav moved into eng me with. en a i f c so. by reason of t fact. that the spr n M will have. m anwhile moved the, lever arm 42 clockwise to the :solid line position shown in Fig. 3. It. will he observed, therefore, that, the clutch is a sinale revolution clutch, be-. ing' adapte to be thrown automatically out of n a ement at the nd: of each complete revolue tion. The only way to permit the clutch to. CD11. tinue in engagement is to manually hold the lever arm out of engagement by means of the handle,

52. against the actionof the spring 54.

As previously indicated, the fruit, such as. a peach I4, is. designed to be positioned upon the slide l2 against an empaler [6. Details of this empaler in its. initial and extended positions may best be seen in Figs. 1 and 4;. The .empaler con.-. sists of a support 65 mounted upon a shaft 6.6; which is journaledin a pair of brackets -51 which are in turn mounted upon the base. At its upper end the support is. attached to a cross piece 68 by means of a bolt 89'. The cross piece, however, is permitted to move pivotally upon the bolt is with respect. to the support.

It should be noted that the slide 12 has. its upper edge 10 curved so that the cross piece 00- cupies a position substantially tangent. tov the 4 curve when it is disposed horizontally in the initial position as. shown in Fig. .1. As the cross piece, which comprises a part of the empaler, is moved along the curved edge of the slide, it becomes advisable to shift the direction of the cross piece so that it will continue to occupy a position substantially tangent to the curve. In order to accomplish this there is provided a parallelogram arrangement by means of which the cross piece is compelled to follow a predetermined path. To facilitate this a parallel support TI is provided attached at its lower end by means of a link 12 to the support. The link has a pivotal mounting '13 at one end and I4 at the other. The parallel support. at its upper end has a pivotal connection '55 to an extension 16 of the cross piece. There is thus provided a parallelogram structure such that. as the parallel support it may be moved in one direction or another endwise with relation to the support the link 12 and the cross piece 16 will shift in direction but will always remain parallel to each other. A spring 1! is secured at its upper end 18 to the support '65 and at its lower end is to the parallel support TI and tends. by its action to normally close the parallelogram so that the parallel sup-.- port is urged to a position against the support. By this action the cross piece 68 will always be urged in a direction clockwise about. the end 73 as a pivot point.

For attaching the fruit to the cross piece comprising the empaler, there is provided a pair of tines 80. extending opposite to each other in a vertical plane and a second pairof tines 8| extending opposite to each other in a horizontal plane. The position of the tines 8| can be changed by reason of the factthat they are, pro.- vided with an adjustable mountingon the cross piece. The tines 8-! include each a shaftEZWhich assists extends along the cross'piece to whichit 'isattached by means of adjusting nuts 83. The tines can be moved outwardly toward the right by loosening the nuts 83 and tightening them again against the shaft 32 of the tines in an outwardly extending position. The tines may be extended outwardly or inwardly a distance limited by the length of the shaft 82 attached thereto. The adjustment of the tines thus described is for the purpose of accommodating the machine to fruit having pits of different size. If desired, the adjustment of the pit engaging tines may be limited to this portion of the machine only.

In order to vary the adjustment of the parallelogram as the support 65 moves clockwise so as to advance the empaler, there is provided a curved track 85 designed to confine movement of the empaler to the curve of the top edge is of the stationary slide. On the parallel support I! there is provided a roller 88 which i normally drawn upwardly into contact with the track by reason of the pulling action of the spring ll. The left hand end of the track is curved in a general way to conform ,to the upper end of the slide, whereas the right hand end of the track indicated by the character 8'! is relatively straightcorresponding to the right hand end of the straight portion of the slide. As the roller is moved along the track, the parallel support ii will be moved downwardly against pressure of the spring '4'? and will thereby tend to shift the direction of the cross piece 68. That i to say,

'16 angle between the ends of the parallelogram and the adjoining sides will be changed. The track 85 can be given such a direction that the position of the cross piece 63 will be moved so as always to remain tangent to the curved edge 79 of the stationary slide. When the edge of the slide becomes straight, the cross piece can be moved to a position parallel to it by following a similar practice with respect to the shape of the track.

The empaler is driven by action of the operating shaft through a drive connection 88. To accomplish this a sleeve 85 is keyed to the shaft 2'! and is provided with a crank arm in the shape of a pivot. The drive connection has a Cross head 9! pivotally secured to the crank arm and held thereon by means of a cotter pin 92, thereby supplying an eccentric mounting for the right hand end of the drive connection as viewed in Fig. 2.

Keyed to the shaft 86 is a second crank arm 93 which has a forked upper end 94 and between the arms of the fork is positioned a bushing which is pivotally secured to the crank arm by means of bolts 96.

The left hand end of the drive connection 88 has what may be termed an extension 31 which extends slidably through abore in the bushing On the extension is provided a locking collar 98 which acts as a spring keeper for a spring 99 which is in a compressed position tending thereby normally to push the extension in a direction from right to left as viewed in Fig. 2. The extent of movement of the extension under action of the spring is limited by a second locking collar ldil which bears against the right hand side of the bushing 95. The tension on the spring and the position of the drive connection 88 can be varied and adjusted by shifting the positions of the locking collars. Set screws llll and it: are provided for anchoring the collars in any desired adjusted position.-

By means-of this spring action at the left hand end of the drive connection as viewed in' Fig. 2, the empaler can be set so as to accommodate a' pit of the smallest size. If a pit of larger size should be encountered and the empaler limited in its movement from left to right, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 4, the spring will compress, permitting the cross head Hi to rotate through a complete revolution without drawing the support 65 and the crank arm 93 to their most extended positions toward the right. By provision of this automatic spring takeup the danger of breaking or straining the mechanism in case larger pits are encountered is eliminated. A further function of the spring takeup is to prolong the dwell of the empaler at the advance end of the cycle. When the empaler engages the pit it stops while the rive connection continues to be moved forward by the eccentric against the pressure of the spring. On its return the drive connection returns the empaler but not until after it has re-' turned far enough to relieve the spring pressure. The pit is thus held securely for the duration of the dwell while the meat is torn from both sides.

The stationary slide 02 previously referred to has quite generally the shape of a plate section and as best seen in Fig. 1 has an upper portion 185. The upper portion overhangs the right hand end of the upper edge is of the slide as viewed in Fig. 1 providing thereby a recess. The overhanging portion has a sharp lower edge I86 and a sharp corner edge lfil designed to cut into a fruit as it is passed into the recess. The inner end of the recess 1258 may likewise be provided with sharp edges so as to cut into the end of the fruit as it is driven into the base of the recess. Also at the inner end of the recess there is provided a pair of pit-engaging tines Hill, which, for convenience, may be permanently attached to the portion of the stationary slide forming the bottom of the recess. Should it be desired, the end of the upper edge it which lies within the recess may be flat rather than sharp in order to provide a support for the sharp edge of a pit or stone when positioned upon the slide.

When the empaler i6 is moved from the initial position shown in Fig. 1 to the extended position shown in Fig. 4., the pit iii] of the fruit will be held between the tines it?) and the tines 8|. When the fruit is in this position it is desired to separate the meat on both sides of the pit from the pit itself. To accomplish this there is provided a pair of jaws indicated generally by the character (8 which move from a normally inward position illustrated in Fig. 5 to an outwardly extended position illustrated in Fig. 6.

The jaws l8 consist of a pair of plates each comprising a flat plate 1 i2 provided with a sharpedged recess H3 corresponding more or less in size and shape to the recess at the adjacent end of the slide. It will be noted, however, that the inner end of the recess H3 may extend slightly further along the slide than the inner end I98 of the recess in the slide. Each plate is provided with a supporting frame consisting of an upper arm H4 and a lower arm l i5 attached to the face of the plate remote from the slide. The arms are rigidly connected together by means of a bracket H8 held to the arms by means of bolts H1. The framework thus formed is pivotally mounted upon the base by means of a shaft H8 which extends through a hinged portion I IQ of a bracket I253 in turn supported upon the base. The axis of the shaft-I l8 lies in a plane perpen-q dicular to the axis of the operating shaft 21. .If desired the bracket. 129 may be extended up? wardly so as :to'provide a central bearing support HI tor the operating shaft. The supporting arms act as a first-class lever about the shaft I58 as a pivottpoint, each arm having an end I22 bent at a slightangle relative to the portion H4 of the arm which is attached to the fiat plate 2.

Tomove the fiat plate outwardly relative to the slide it is necessary to move the opposite end of the supporting arm I22 inwardly. To accomplish this there is provided a lateral extension I 23 which has an adjustable cam-engaging button 124 extendig toward the operating shaft 2?. This button can be varied in its position by threading it inwardly or outwardly upon an extension and there looking it in position by means of a lock nut I25. A collar I26 is keyed to the shaft and has a cam I27 extending outwardly at one side. The cam extends over a relatively short angular distance with respect to the circumference of "the collar so that it engages the button I24 during-only a relatively short length of time in one, revolution of the operating shaft. At azproperly timed interval in the revolution of the operating shaft, the cam I2! presses against the button I21, shifting the extension I23 and likewise. the end I22 of the arm which supports the plate lilo-2. This-will cause movement of the plate outwardly with respect to the slide for as long as the cam is in contact with the button. As soon :as the .cam passes beyond its engagement with the button a spring I28 secured between abracket I 29 at each end tends to 'move the ends 4222vo'f the supporting arms outwardly again and to returnthe plate I I2 on each side to its initiai]; position shown in Fig. 5.

Tl-reconstruction and action of the plates II2 onopposite sides of the slide are complementary and simultaneous and will be readily understood from an examination of the drawings. By the simultaneous action of both plates, opposite halves of the fruitwhich is to be pitted will be torn from the pit and permitted to fall downwardly and be deflected in a direction so as to ,fallupon the belt 2i by means of sides I9.

.Should .it be desired to vary the time for open- .ing the plates I I2, the rotative position of the cam I21 on the shaft 21 may be changed and reset :to :axnew position and there secured by means of set screws I30. When the empaler I6 reaches its extended position as shown in Fig. 4, there will be a slight linger in this position while the :crank -93 passes from a position at about the end-of the-advancingstroke to a position at about therstartof theretur-n stroke by' reason of a slight clearance and tolerance in the fit of the parts. .Itis during this slight linger that the plates II2 may betimed to movexoutwardly to best advantage.

The timing of operation of the plates H2 is important. They should separate the flesh from the-pit at a time when the pit is firmly retained and after the sharpedges of the recess have cut into the meator flesh of the fruit. When, as intheoinvention here involved, all motion is derivedirom the same operating shaft, the timing problem .is simplified and the particular meohanical connection becomes a matter of choice. In the embodiment chosen for illustration, a cam and first-class lever have been shown and de scribed.

After the; plates have moved outwardly and returned and after the empaler has begun .its return stroke, should the pit remain stuck upon the tines I09 it will .be-knockedfrom its position by means of .a pit knock-out bar L35. The bar has an end "I36 turned inwardly .so as tobepositioned end on with respect to the side of a. pit. The bar is supported upon a pivot arm I31 and can be varied in its angular position relative to the arm by means of a pair of lock nuts I38. The pivot arm, for convenience, is designed to pivot about the shaft II8' upon which the supporting arms of the adjacent plate Il2 are pivoted.

For moving the pivotal support there is: provideda. link I39 which has a :pivotal connection I 46 atv one end in a slot MI in the pivot arm and a. pivotal connection I42 at the other end to a cam-engaging arm I431 The cam-engagingarm is pivotally supported at a point PM to a'bracket I45 mounted upon frame 23. At the opposite or freeend of the cam-engaging arm there is :a

cylindrical cam follower I46 extending sdownwardly as=viewedin Fig. 8'. A diagonal wingcam M11 is mounted upon a collar I48 and the collar in turnrisadjustably keyezd to'the operating shadti Duringroitation :of theshaft afface I49 of'the diagonal cam brushes against the cylindrical camfollower- M6, moving :it and the cam-engaging arm M3 in aaeounterclockwise direction about the ivot connection IMasviewed in Fig. 7. Move:- ment of the cam-engaging arm in this direction causes the link. I39 to move in a corresponding direction, whiclrin turn moves the pivot arm 1 31 in a counterclockwise direction about the shafi: I I8'until the-pitknock-out bar I occupiessthe. position shown in "Fig. 7. In this position the pit-engaging end 113.8 of the bar will be against the side of a pitat rest upon the top .=of

, theslide-and will'ikn'ock it laterally as illustrated in Fig. 7' so that 'it will fall upon the conveyer belt. soon as the relatively short diagonal cam passes beyond "the cam follower, a spring 1 50 will return the pit knock-out barand respective coperating parts to the initial position shown in Fig. 2. Meanwhile, the empaler I'6"w-ill be returne'd'to'its initial position.

:Machinesof'this "'type will usually be employed in QFbHIttBIY as illustrated in Fig. 9, all operated. from the'same -driveshaft and all served by thesame conveyer belt 21, which rolls at one end: about a, pulley -I5I. The bin sides I9 of each machine will be directed downwardly toward the conveyer belt. An operator sits behind each machine and in view *of the fact that the clutch will be normally disengaged, the operating shaft of any-particular machine will remain idle with all of the parts=connected thereto 'at rest. Theoperator then places a peach or similar drupaceous: fruit upon the tines 3E! and 8| in theposition shown in Fig. .1. and it has been found- .best to press the. fruit upon the sharp upper edge .I-ll of theslidelfi so thata cut is made along the cleft portionof-theiruit. This means that where a fruit has -.a somewhat oblong pit, such asai peach, the sharp; longitudinal edge of the "pit will beextended toward the knife. --When the peach *has thus been :empaled, the operator dacing the machine from the left hand side, :as

viewed in Fig. 2, need only permit his right hand to drop against .a laterally extending portion I53 oisthe -handle,.-thereby shifting the handle from right to left in order to disengage the lever farm-1 i-2"from .the finger AI of the pawl. This will permit the pawl to engage the ratchet gear and the drive shaft will thereby be immediately con- .nected tothe operating shaft and the operating: shat=will berotated. Rotation of the operating, shatt through the crank advances the drive connection-.88 and hence the empaler IS untiL-the- Inuit .isdriuen into the recess at'the right hand end of the slide as viewed in Fig. 1. The advanced position is best seen in Fig. 4 which shows the location of the pit with respect to the fruit. The advanced position of the parts is likewise illustrated in Fig. 5.

. As the operating shaft continues to operate, the cam I21 will function in order to separate the plates II2, thereby tearing the meat from the pit. After they have returned to their normal position, the crank 90 will begin movement in a reverse direction returning the em'paler E 5. Meanwhile, by the cam action previously described, the pit knock-out bar will be brought into action and will knock the pit from its position at the end of the slide. The pit knock-out bar will then be returned to its initial position prior to the completion of one revolution of the operating shaft. As the operating shaft completes one revolution, the pawl together with the finger 4| will approach its initial position as shown in Fig. 3. When it reaches that initial position, due to the fact that the spring 44 has returned the lever arm 42 together with the handle to the initial position of those parts, the finger will engage the lever arm and lift the pawl from its engagement with the ratchet gear, thereby disengaging the operating shaft from its drive connection with the drive shaft. All of the parts of the machine will therefore again remain stationary until the operator has again empaled a peach upon the empaler and has again manually connected the clutch.

Figs. through 13 inclusive show a modified form of the device incorporating a pit-receiving member of special construction. In this form of the device there is shown a supporting member I for each jaw "which is pivotally mounted upon the frame in the same manner as described for the supporting member II4. In this instance, however,- there is a stationary center plate IBI which corresponds to the upper portion I05 of the plate section previously described but which extends outwardly only a limited distance, as best illustrated in Fig. 13. The supporting members are bent at I62 so that they approach each other more closely than in the case of the form first described.

In each supporting member there is an upper plate I 63 and a lower plate I64. The upper plate has a recessed portion I65 and the lower plate a recessed portion I 66 complementary to recessed portion I55 so that together they provide an opening for reception of the pit. The upper plate has sharp, oblique cutting edge I61 and the lower plate a corresponding cutting edge I68 designed to cut the flesh of the fruit as it is pushed into the opening provided by the recesses. It should be noted also that the plates are provided with relatively large openings I69 to lighten the weight of the plates and also to provide a means for breaking the suction eifect of the freshly cut portion of the fruit which extends outwardly beyond the recesses.

By reason of the fact that a stationary slide I10 does not extend in a position between the A 12 of the stationary slide. A portion I15 of the slide overlies the oblique knife edge portion I68 of the lower fiat plate.

It will be apparent particularly from examination of Fig. 13 that the flat plates I63 and also the plates I611 are designed to be brought into contact with each other in closed position so that when in contact they are in alignment with the stationary slide I19.

In order to make certain that this alignment is maintained, there are provided adjusting screws I 15 which extend threadably into a bracket 538 on the supporting members on each side to a position wherein they engage the stationary center plate. Lock nuts ITI are provided in order to lock each adjusting screw in its proper position.

The pit-receiving member comprises a cylindrical element I86 which is stationarily mounted upon the stationary center plate IBI. It will be apparent that the hat plates I 53 and I64 are positioned so that they are separated by a space ISI adjacent the inner end of the recessed portions in order to accommodate the pit-receiving member. A plunger I82 has a hollow sleeve portion i233 slidably mounted within the cylindrical element and an outwardly extending end comprising upper and lower tines I813 which are adapted to engage the fruit. The cylindrical element may be provided with a slot I85 adapted to receive a pin I86 projecting into it from the sleeve of the plunger so as to limit the extent of relative movement between the parts. Within the sleeve and the cylindrical element there is positioned a coiled, expanding spring I 81 which normally urges the plunger in an outward direction identified by the solid line I84 in Fig. 10.

In addition to the tines I84 there are provided adjustable prongs I83, one lying on each side of the cylindrical element. For holding the prongs there is provided for each a boss I90 extending outwardly from the side of the cylindrical element which is provided with an aperture I9I through which one end of the prong is extended. A screw I92 is threadably received within the boss and can be screwed down tight against the prong positioned therein in order to anchor it in place. The prong I88 in each case lies substantially fiat against the side of the cylindrical element and at the side of the plunger which is tapered toward its outer end whereon the tines I84 are fixed. At the base of the tines there is an elongated slot I93 adapted to receive both of the prongs. The prong from one side extends through the slot so that its end I94 projects a slight distance beyond the opposite side from which it enters and the prong on the contrary side extends through the 'slot I93 crossing the first prong so that it extends a slight distance beyond the plunger on the side opposite from which it enters the slot. In normal or extended position of the plunger the ends I94 are relatively withdrawn to a position wherein they extend only a slight amount in a laterally withdrawn direction. When the plunger is pressed inwardly, as for example when the pit of a fruit is forced against it, the plunger slides into the cylinder and the prongs, being afixed to the cylinder, are slit outwardly relative to the 3 slots through which-they pass and when the plunger is in depressed position the prongs are bowed outwardly so that the ends I94 project a substantial distance beyond the end of the plunger, as illustrated in Fig. 12. I

In using the modified form of the device a Truit is-empaled uponsome suita'ble member such as that described in connection "with the preferred embodiment and is forced along theslide in the usual way until it is pushed against the sharp edges -l 3 'i and l t-8 of the jaw plates. At this point the fruit leaves theslide and enters the recessed portions of the plates. As-the fruit enters, the flesh -is cut to a depth approximately hush withthe pit. At this'point the pit-receiving member is in the-extended position I84. As the fruit is continuedto be pressed into the recessed portions, the pit is driven againstthe V formed between the tines 184; Then as the pressure is continued, the tines, together with the plunger I 82, are forced from left to right as viewed in Figs. 16 and 12 until the tines arebacked against the adjacent edges "of the recessed portions. During this movement the prongs 188 remain in fixed location but'are bo' ved outwardly and project into the fruit as the fruit is advanced during this last portion oiitsmovement into the recessed portions. By thus projecting the prongs endwise into the fruit the flesh of the fruit is not torn. The prongs pierce the flesh and then lie adjacent the side surfaces of the pit where they provide an. additional support for retaining the pit while the jaw elements are moved laterally outwardly in the usual way to tear the flesh from the pit on both sides.

After the flesh has been torn away, a pitkn'ockout bar of'th'e type described-in thejpreferred embodiment operates to knock the 'pit from its position in the recessafterwhich'all' of the parts are returned to their initial position. In the initial position the tines onthe plunger will again extend outwardly tothe position 1 3'4 and the'prongs 'will'again'be withdrawn so that. the ends I94 are snug against the 'end' of the plunger. If preferred, the fruit-receiving'memberjjust described may be provided'with 'asufficient movement endwise so as'to compensate'for pits of different sizes and thereby permit a simpler construction of the fruit 'empaler which is designed to force the fruit along the slide into a position between the jaws.

In the invention thus described there has been provided a, pitter for freestone, drupaceous fruits which is capable of operation by a single operator and which, because of coming to a stop at the end of each complete pitting operation, is always at rest and waiting to receive a, fruit for the next operation. The machine is one wherein the mechanical construction for each movement is rugged and simple. Moving parts, however, have been compactly arranged so that the pitter as a unit can be placed with many others of the same type in a battery for handling a large volume of fruit. The operator can combine the hand motion required to empale the fruit with the motion needed to start the mechanism and thereby greatly promote the efiiciency of an operator to pit fruit by use of the machine.

I claim:

1. A fruit pitting machine including a support, a power shaft, a stationary slide, said slide having a knife edge, the said knife edge having an elongated curved upwardly extended cutting edge and a relatively short opposed cutting edge spaced from the first said cutting edge, a curved cutting edge connecting the said cutting edges and frrning a recess in said slide, an impaler for moving a fruit along said slide and into said recess, power means for moving said impaler along said slide, a pair of plates pivotally mounted on said support and positioned on each side of said slide, each of safd platesthaving =a recess-thereincorresponding to the recess in said slide powermeans for moving said plates'abou-t their pivot 'point to cause the recesses in said plates to simultaneously separate from the recess in said slide; spring mean-s'for returning the saidplates to-their initial position, abarhavinga free end and-its other endpivotally' mounted on said frame adjacent one o'fthe-said plates', the*said-free end having an inwardly turned portion extendable into the said recesses but normallyspring held laterally from saidrecesses, and power means for moving said bar aboutits'pivotfpoint and extending the said inward "turned portion of the said free endinto the said recesses.

-2. Afruit pitting machinein accordance with claim "1 wherein the power means for moving said impaler along said "slide include a rotatable power shaft, "tlie said ipower shaft having a pair of "cam "members thereon for sequentially operating the;.power meansfor'moving said-plates and the power means for "moving said pivotally mounted bar during each revolution of said power shaft;

3. A fruit pitting machinead'ap'ted topit 'free stone peaches an'dthe" like, comprising stationary pitting means including -.a longitudinally extended bl'ade having 'aknife edge anda soc'ke'ted Blade having a concave knife edge disposed the plane of at one end of said longitudinal blade; an imp'aling element supported for move ment adjacent and parallel to 'said longitudinal knife edge; spreaderplates disposed on opposite sides of and adjacent to socketed blade; means pivotally supporting said spreader plates for spreading apart and 'for closing; and means for 'actuatingsa'idimpaler element and spreader plates in timed relationship so to spread said plates when said element. has lodged a fruit in said socketedfljlade.

4. A fruitpittingmach-ine adapted to pit freestone peaches-and the like, comprising stationary pitting means including a longitudinal blade having a knife edge disposed in a vertical plane and a socketed blade having a concave knife edge dispised in the plane of said longitudinal blade; an impaling element supported for pivotal movement adjacent and parallel to said longitudinal knife edge; spreader plates disposed on opposite sides of and adjacent to said socketed blade; means pivotally supporting said spreader plates for spreading apart and for closing; and means for pivoting said impaling element and for spreading and closing said blades in timed relationship so as to spread said plates when said impaling element has lodged a fruit in said socketed blade.

5. A fruit pitting machine adapted to pit freestone peaches and the like, comprising stationary pitting means including a longitudinal blade having a knife edge disposed in a vertical plane and a socketed blade having a concave knife, said longitudinal blade being disposed in a vertical plane and its knife edge having an upper arcuate portion and a lower linear portion, said concave knife edge being disposed in the plane of said longitudinal knife edge; an impaling element supported for pivotal movement adjacent and parallel to said longitudinal knife edge; spreader plates disposed on opposite sides of and adjacent to said socketed blade; means pivotally supporting said spreader plates for spreading apart and for closing; and means for actuating said impaling element and said spreader plates in timed relationship so as to spread said spreader plates 15 when said impaling element has lodged a fruit in said socketed blade, and for returning said spreader plates to closed position thereafter.

6. A fruit pitting machine adapted to pit freestone peaches and the like, comprising a rotatable shaft; stationary pitting means including a vertical blade having an arcuate knife edge and a socketed blade having a knife edge disposed in the plane of said arcuate knife edge; an impaling element supported for pivotal movement adjacent and parallel to said arcuate knife edge; spreader plates disposed on opposite sides of and adjacent to said socketed blade; means supporting said spreader plates for pivotal movement to spread the same from said socketed blade and to close the same; means operatively connecting said shaft with said impaling element to oscillate the same; and means, including cams disposed on said shaft, for pivoting said spreader plates in timed relationship to said impaling element to spread said plates when said impaling element has lodged a fruit in said socketed blade.

7. A fruit pitting machine adapted to pit freestone peaches and the like, comprising a rotatable shaft; stationary pitting means including a vertical blade having an arcuate knife edge; a socketed blade having a concave knife edge disposed at the lower end of and in the plane of said arcuate knife edge; an impaling element supported for pivotal movement adjacent and parallel to said knife edge; spreader plates disposed on opposite sides of said socketed blade; means supporting said spreader plates for pivotal move ment to spread and close the same; means including cams secured to said shaft for pivoting said spreader plates; and means operatively connecting said shaft with said impaling element, including a rod connected at one end to said shaft and connected at its other end to said supporting member by resilient means allowing maximum travel of said impaling element when a small pit is lodged in said socketed blade and a lesser than maximum travel thereof when a large pit is lodged in said socketed blade and obstructs further travel of said impaling element.

8. A fruit pitting machine comprising stationary pitting means including a longitudinal blade and a socketed blade at one end thereof; an impaling element; means supporting said impaling element for oscillatory movement along and adjacent to said longitudinal blade between a retracted position removed from said socketed blade and an advanced position adjacent said socketed blade; a rotatable shaft; and means operatively connecting said shaft and supporting means to oscillate said impaling element, said means including a rod, a crank connecting one end thereof to said shaft and resilient means connecting the other end of said rod with said supporting means, whereby said impaling element may undergo less than maximum travel when its path is obstructed by a large pit in said socketed blade.

LAURENCE W. WATERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 482,272 Philips Sept. 6, 1892 737,615 Harpold Sept. 1, 1903 808,464 Lynn Dec. 26, 1905 921,523 Dunkley May 11, 1909 1,256,439 Clark Feb. 12, 1918 1,263,742 Chase Apr. 23, 1918 1,334,449 Grifiin Mar. 23, 1920 1,488,082 Wilcox Mar. 25, 1924 1,512,410 Eldridge Oct. 21, 1924 1,786,724 Wilcox Dec. 30, 1930 1,834,082 Ballard et al Dec. 1, 1931 1,919,651 Helsel July 25, 1933 2,026,806 Thompson Jan. 7, 1936 2,066,567 Jepson Jan. 5, 1937 2,313,898 Silva Mar. 16, 1943 

